[success]The greatest mistake you can make in life is continually fearing that you’ll make on. ~ Elbert Hubbard[/success]
Today I remembered a poem by Portia Nelson, that’s really a story about life and hope and redemption and I wanted to share it:
“There’s A Hole In My Sidewalk
- Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
- Chapter Two
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
- Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault… I get out immediately.
- Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
- Chapter Five
I walk down another street.”
It’s about hope for us all. That we make mistakes repeatedly and it’s okay. Sometimes we make the same mistakes over and over and it’s still okay. Maybe we make bad choices even though the hole in the road is right there in front of us and we can see it clearly. But we get another chance to walk down the same street tomorrow and perhaps we’ll skip right over the hole this time and perhaps we won’t. But there’s another tomorrow and hope beats eternal.
Even if you feel you’ll keep making these same mistakes, these same poor choices and get the same lousy results for ever, you don’t have to; life will present you with new opportunities, which will hold out the hope of a newer, sweeter life. Our vision becomes more clear and the hole in the road becomes more visible. We can see where we’re going.
No matter how deep the hole, we can always climb out. We can all be transformed by ‘the renewing of our mind’, by deliberately, one by one, choosing another thought, another belief, another feeling.
Each time we think lovingly of ourselves and others we raise everything up. Every time we see those in our world as the bloom and not the bud, the hole is less deep.
Little by little, one thought, one belief at a time we can change our patterns of thinking and feeling and then we’re choosing to walk down a different street. It’s in our hands…or our imagination.
We can do it…let’s encourage one another…let us hold out hope for each other. Celebrate your beauty, your invincible spirit…celebrate you.
Love Elle.
xoxo
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7 Comments
Thankyou for sharing, Elle
be good to yourself
David
Elle,
That’s one of my favorite stories too! I really appreciate the encouragement you offer her to keep going even if we make the same mistakes again. It takes time to turn around our patterns but we can do it! And together we can encourage each other. I love your theme of encouragement!
Thank you Sandra. I so agree with what you say about time, and yes we can do it!
Beautiful one Elle…..
That’s what i also believe in .
Have a beautiful life…!
Loves..Sonia
Thank you Sonia…I like that “have a beautiful life” and here’s wishing the same for you. 🙂
Wow! What a straight-forward beautiful reminder that there is not a single choice that is permanent. That no matter what, there is always another choice on offer. Always . . . At any point in time we can choose to Love more and to Encourage more and to Anoint one another more. Thank you !
Write on, Elle !
So true Joseph, not a single choice that’s set in stone. Phew. Good job I say. 🙂